HEALTHY LIVING

Ask the @Nu_Tristanist Sneaky Ways to Fight Stress with Food and Fitness

Fires! Power Outages! Record breaking unemployment rates! The gyms are still closed in our county and the CDC released a statement citing that those who dine in restaurants (yes, even outdoors) are TWICE as likely to contract coronavirus. Yowza! Talk about living in stressful times! It is so easy to throw on our biggest sweats, fire up our favorite streaming platform and call it a year, but I am here to tell you: not so fast! It is now more important than ever to exercise and eat healthfully for no other reason than to protect your mental health and sanity. As you know, exercise releases happy-feeling neurotransmitters in your brain called endorphins and eating healthy foods regularly fights stress on the body by revving up your immune system and lowering blood pressure. So don’t hide out until all is safe and well in the world! You have more power than you think! Try some of these

easy ideas to beat stress, battle anxiety, and stay healthy:

Try a Meal prep Delivery Service: If there is a diet you’ve been wanting to try but think it’s too much work or don’t know where to start, now is a great time to try a meal prep delivery service. Companies like Go fresh and Sun basket send pre-packaged ingredients so you can cook your own meals, while companies like Trifecta or freshly send the meals already ready to go. Just heat and serve. There is literally something for every dietary preference these days and no diet

challenge is too hard to take on. Keto? Vegan? Organic? They’ve got you covered! While it feels easier to order the same pizza or Thai food every week, with a little planning ahead (think: a google search away), you can be fueling your body more efficiently in days! Just eating one healthier meal a day can improve your health, energy, and weight. One balanced meal is often more nutrient dense and less caloric than the average fast food meal. That adds up!

Try a new vegetable every week: Do you ever get stuck in a fruit or vegetable rut? Local farms put together amazing, affordable produce boxes that are easily available for pickup or delivery. You will be supporting local business, eating fresh, saving money and usually end up exposing your family to produce you normally wouldn’t try if you let them curate the box. Search localharvest.org to find a farm to support near you.

Start an at-home family fitness challenge: Here is something easy I have been encouraging my clients to do with their families and it’s become a source of hilarity! Post up a fitness challenge on the wall in the TV room and accomplish the exercises during commercial breaks (“20 crunches! 40 squats! 10 pushups!”). Have a “sheets-off” challenge where you compete for time to see who can strip the bed and put new sheets on the fastest! If you really want to sweat, have a freeze dance competition until you drop (my 4 year old always wins). With just a little bit of creativity, you can get your family active in all sorts of ways, the sillier the better, just GET MOVING and LAUGH!

Hit your Step goals: If you don’t own a pedometer, GET ONE NOW. You can download a pedometer app, or buy a fitness watch. I’ve even lucked out buying them for clients at my local ‘99 cents store’. It is so easy to put on your tennies and walk, but the miles might get monotonous if you don’t see tangible results over time. Just count those steps. Start with a small goal of 5,000 steps a day and work your way up to 10,000 as quickly as you can. Walking is the easiest form of fitness there is, wards off heart disease and improves your mood. Once 10,000 steps is hit you can stay there or continue to push the limits de-

pending on your goal. Jessica Simpson is known to walk up to 14,000 steps a day for weight-loss postpartum. It works!

Join an online fitness community: Here is one you can start as soon as you put down this newspaper. Log in and find what fits you. These communities can be small like the one I run for my private clients or huge platforms linked to tech such as ‘Versafit’ or ‘MyFitnessPal’. The more you understand about what you need to stay accountable, the more likely you are to find one that fits. Groups for moms (Beyond fit Mom), promoting inclusivity and diversity (Black Girls run) or centered on a diet you follow (whole 30). Join up, participate and make the changes happen! You aren’t alone and this is a way to reinforce this belief while staying safe and covid free!

Got a question for Tristan? Email her at faceoffitness@gmail.com, subject line: Ask the @Nu_Tristanist

Tristan LeClair is a mother, title holding bodybuilder, certified trainer and nutritionist who has been transforming people’s lives and bodies in southern California for the past 11 years.